Track aligning device



Oct. 1, 1963 J. K. STEWART TRACK ALIGNING DEVICE Filed June 30, 1961 III/IV III I I/ JOHN KSTEWART M This invention relates to cross level indicators particularly for railroad tracks. Such indicators are capable of displaying in some visual form the degree of superelevation of one rail of the track relative to the other rail.

According to the present invention, a device for measuring the cross level or super-elevation of a railroad track is adapted for use on a track spanning frame which engages each of the rails thereof and comprises a member having a transversely extending inclined surface; means for moving said member in a path transversely of the rails; levelling bubble indicator means responsive to said movement; means for measuring the movement of said member; the measuring means being calibrated whereby, on movement of said member to level the bubble, the difference in elevation between the two rails of the track is indicated.

The device according to the invention may advantageously be utilized with railroad track maintenance vehicles such as tamping jacks. When so used the device is capable of indicating to the jack operator the degree of super-elevation required on a rail to bring that rail to a predetermined relation to the other rail of the track.

The following is a description, by way of example, of one embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, largely in section, of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 22 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a detail.

Referring now to the drawings:

The device comprises a substantially cylindrical-shaped housing provided at its underside with a pair of mounting lugs 11, 12 having bolt-receiving bores 13 and 14 therein. The lugs 11 and 12 are arranged so that the device may be mounted on a suitable horizontal cross memher which spans a railroad track and engages each of the rails of the railroad track. For example, the device may be mounted on a conventional wheeled tamping jack so as to extend in a direction transversely of the rails.

Within the cylindrical housing 10 there is provided an axially extending externally threaded shaft 15 mounted at its ends in bearings 16 and 17 on the housing 10 and connected at one end to an operating handle 20. The shaft 15 carries a substantially wedge-shaped block 25 thereon. The shaft 15 extends through the internally threaded bore 26 of the block '25 so that their respective threads mate. When the handle is manually rotated by the operator, its rotation is transmitted to the threaded shaft 15 and through the respective threads to the substantially wedge-shaped block 25. The block is thus moved to or fro along the shaft 15 along a path transversely of the rails.

Depending from the underside of the block "25 is an extension piece 27 carrying thereon an indicator pointer 39 (FIG. 2). The extension piece 27 and its indicator pointer 39 are rigidly attached to the block 25 and move therewith along the slot 31 in the underside of the cylindrical housing 10. Part of the outer front surface of the cylindrical housing 10 is cut away to form a recess 33 (see FIGURE 2) and an indicator plate 34 is mounted at this recess. The plate has calibrated graduated marktates ate ings engraved thereon to indicate inches of super-elevation when read off against the indicator pointer 30.

Mounted on top of the housing 10 is a transparent cover box 40 and within it and fixed to the housing 10 is the base plate 41 for a levelling arm 42. The levelling arm 42 is rigidly secured to a tilting frame 46 which is pivotally mounted at 45 to the base 41. On the front of the tilting frame 46 (see especially FIG. 3) there is positioned a conventional levelling bubble 50. The levelling arm 42 is spring-biased about its pivot point 45 towards the base 41 by a spring 52 connected to a pin 53 on the base 41 and a pin 54 in an extension 55 on the levelling arm. A downwardly extending pin 56 having rounded ends 56a, 56b contacts on the one hand an inclined surface 25F on the wedge-like element 25, and on the other hand, the head 57h of the nut 57 which is screwed into the arm 42 at a predetermined position relative to the pivot point. The spring 52, in biasing the levelling arm '42 downwardly, constantly tends to press the pin 56 into engagement with the inclined surface 25F of the wedge-like element 25- tnrou-gh a bore 60 which extends through the base 4 1 and housing 10.

The ratio of distances between: on the one hand, the longitudinal axis of the pin 56 and its pivot point (which is directly below the centre point 50C ('FIG. 3) of travel of the bubble 53; and, on the other hand, the rails of the track (the gauge) form the bases for two imaginary triangles which govern the calibration of the indicator 34. The ratio of the degree of superelevation to the rail gauge is always in proportion to the ratio of lift of the pin 56 to the distance between the pivot point 45 and the pin 56.

In operation, when each of the rails of the track are at the same elevation, the cross member on which the device is mounted will be completely horizontal and thus the device will similarly be horizontally disposed. However, when one of the rails is in super-elevation relative to the other rail, the cross member will be tilted and so will the device. To determine the degree of super-elevation of one rail relative to the other it is merly necessary for the operator to turn the handle 20 to wind the wedge 46 along the shaft 15 until it pushes the pin 56 upwardly against the bias of the spring 52 to a sufiicient degree to rock the levelling arm 42 about its pivot point 45 until the bubble 50 rests centrally on its central point 50C in order to enable the operator to read oil the plate 34 against the indicator 30 the amount of super-elevation in inches of the one rail relative to the other.

Similarly, where the device is used with a tamping jack or the like in an operation to raise one of the rails relative to the other, the handle 20 is operated until the required amount of super-elevation is read against the indicator 30. Operation of the handle 20 of course, causes the wedge-like element to be moved transversely to push up the pin 56 and rock the levelling arm 42 about its pivot 45 throwing the bubble ofi centre. The rail is then jacked until the rail lift compensates for the applied lift to the levelling arm and the bubble 5i finds its centre point of travel 50C. The rail is then tamped and the desired relationship between the rails has been obtained.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A railroad track cross level or super-elevation measuring device adapted for use on a track spanning frame which engages each of the rails thereof, which device comprises a substantially cylindrical housing; a wedge-shaped member having a transversely inclined surface located within said housing; a longitudinally extending screw thread element within said housing; a threaded bore in said wedge-shaped element adapted to receive said screw thread member; a longitudinally extending slot in the 3 Wall of said cylinder; an extension in said Wedge-shaped element extending through said slot; an indicator pointer attached to said extension; operating means connected to said screw thread and adapted for manual operation thereof to move said Wedge-shaped element within said cylindrical housing in a path transversely of the rails; levelling beam means pivotally mounted adjacent said cylindrical housing; wedge-engaging means contacting said levelling beam means and said inclined surface; spring means normally urging said wedge-engaging means into contact with the inclined surface of the Wedge; a levelling bubble indicator on said levelling beam member; scale means secured to said cylindrical housing to provide with said indicator pointer for measurement of the amount of movement of the inclined surface necessary to obtain a level indication from the bubble indicator, said scale means being calibrated whereby the degree of References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,301,769 Babcock Nov. 10, 1942 2,317,715 Ball Apr. 27, 1943 2,635,344 Misz Apr. 21, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 67,655 Denmark Sept. 20, 1948 

1. A RAILROAD TRACK CROSS LEVEL OR SUPER-ELEVATION MEASURING DEVICE ADAPTED FOR USE ON A TRACK SPANNING FRAME WHICH ENGAGES EACH OF THE RAILS THEREOF, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISES A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL HOUSING; A WEDGE-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING A TRANSVERSELY INCLINED SURFACE LOCATED WITHIN SAID HOUSING; A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SCREW THREAD ELEMENT WITHIN SAID HOUSING; A THREADED BORE IN SAID WEDGE-SHAPED ELEMENT ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID SCREW THREAD MEMBER; A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT IN THE WALL OF SAID CYLINDER; AN EXTENSION IN SAID WEDGE-SHAPED ELEMENT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT; AN INDICATOR POINTER ATTACHED TO SAID EXTENSION; OPERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SCREW THREAD AND ADAPTED FOR MANUAL OPERATION THEREOF TO MOVE SAID WEDGE-SHAPED ELEMENT WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING IN A PATH TRANSVERSELY OF THE RAILS; LEVELLING BEAM MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING; WEDGE-ENGAGING MEANS CONTACTING SAID LEVELLING BEAM MEANS AND SAID INCLINED SURFACE; SPRING MEANS NORMALLY URGING SAID WEDGE-ENGAGING MEANS INTO CONTACT WITH THE INCLINED SURFACE OF THE WEDGE; A LEVELLING BUBBLE INDICATOR ON SAID LEVELLING BEAM MEMBER; SCALE MEANS SECURED TO SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING TO PROVIDE WITH SAID INDICATOR POINTER FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE AMOUNT OF MOVEMENT OF THE INCLINED SURFACE NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A LEVEL INDICATION FROM THE BUBBLE INDICATOR, SAID SCALE MEANS BEING CALIBRATED WHEREBY THE DEGREE OF DIFFERENCE OF ELEVATION BETWEEN THE TWO RAILS OF THE TRACK IS INDICATED BY SUCH MEASUREMENT. 